Heat demolish 76ers as Suns take Game 5 over Mavericks in NBA
THE Miami Heat moved a step closer to progressing to the Eastern Conference Finals, rolling past the Philadelphia 76ers in a 120-85 win on Tuesday.
The Heat comfortably took a 3-2 series lead as the Sixers collapsed in the third quarter, going threeof-12 from the oor for the period aside from Joel Embiid.
While the Heat started strong, Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey were taken out with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.Jimmy
Butler was able to get to his spots on the oor, going nine-of-15 shooting on the way to 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the night.
As a team, Miami had a 20-point advantage (56-36) for points in the paint while seven players scored in double figures in the 35-point win, the joint largest margin of victory in the playoffs this season.
He managed 11 points after halftime, but it wasn’t nearly enough as he got little help from his supporting cast that thrived in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Embiid struggled to replicate his 17-point, five-rebound performance in Philadelphia. Embiid was hit in the face midway through the second quarter of Game 3 against the Heat after returning
from a concussion and orbital fracture sustained in the first round against the Toronto Raptors. He battled Miami’s Dewayne Dedmon for a rebound, and a Dedmon swipe at the ball sent the ball into Embiid’s face.
After removing his protective face mask, Embiid collapsed to the court in obvious pain and remained there for several moments. He went to the 76ers bench brie y but did not leave the court. He quickly got back into the game.
The series returns to Philadelphia on Thursday, which
the 76ers will appreciate. So far, the series has taken dramatic turns for the home teams, with no wins on the road in five games. However, if the 76ers do not find solutions to the problems they faced on Tuesday, this game may not return to Miami.
The Phoenix Suns also claimed an important Game 5 victory on Tuesday, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 110-80.
Similar to the Philadelphia 76ers in the earlier game, the Mavericks started out ice cold and turned the ball over following the main break, giving up a double-digit lead to
start the third quarter.
What was a one-point margin lead for the Suns at half-time quickly blew out to 17 by the middle of the third, when Deandre Ayton scored to make it 67-50.
The Western Conference’s first seed did not look back from there, as Devin Booker finished the game with 28 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Dribble penetration and offensive rebounding created good looks for the Suns, who shot 37.5 per cent from beyond the arc, while the Mavs conversely shot at 25 per cent.